Lahore (AsiaNews) – After spending eight years in solitary confinement, Ranjha Masih, a Christian from Lahore, was acquitted yesterday. Maish had been condemned to life imprisonment for blasphemy in 2003. Justice Asif Saeed Khusa of the local High Court ordered his release that will come about on 14 November after "bureaucratic requirements" have been sorted out.

Masih, 58 years, was arrested on 8 May 1998, the day of the funeral of Bishop John Joseph, who killed himself to protest against the blasphemy law. Right after his burial, local Christians protested against the government. Stones were thrown, and one of them hit a shop sign that featured a verse from the Koran. Police arrested Masih and charged him with blasphemy.

Section 295 (B) of Pakistan's Penal Code, more commonly known as the 'blasphemy law', imposes life in prison for anyone desecrating Islam's holy scriptures. The law has often been used to settle private disputes and affects Muslims as well as Christians.

In 2003, a Faisalabad court sentenced Ranjha Masih to life in prison amid protests by local Muslims who demanded that he be hanged. Throughout his imprisonment, police kept him in solitary confinement "for security reasons". He will be released thanks to the efforts of the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance of Lahore.

Khalil Tahir, one of the lawyers of Masih, told AsiaNews: "We are very happy that Masih has been acquitted but he was subjected to eight years of unjust imprisonment in an isolation cell. This sentence proves once again that the blasphemy law is used to settle personal scores with people like Masih, known for his firm Christian beliefs."

Masih's strong faith has earned him recognition from the International Society for Human Rights, which in May awarded him for "steadfastness in maintaining his Christian beliefs".

But Masih's problems are not over yet: he has received death threats and the Christian community will keep him in hiding for his safety as soon as he comes out of prison. There have been suggestions that he emigrate to Germany.